by Mary Lou Daxland
MARA President
January 20, 2017 will be a day we will remember for the rest of our lives. I now know how the “Greatest Generation” felt when WWII ended. The Conservatives WON after fighting so hard for something they truly believed in. And in the end at the inauguration there were more prayers said over Donald Trump and his administration than for any other president. Something the liberals hate, but to conservatives it is a beautiful thing.
I was able to witness and be part of it all. I was at that place and that time when what took place changed everything … in a good way.
Every time I travel to Washington or attend an event that brings Conservatives together, there is always an element of “shock and awe” when I tell people that I am from Massachusetts. People in this country really believe that there is NO ONE that lives in Mass. that is a Republican and can actually be a conservative.
As I stood for over three hours (and I can’t tell you how quickly that three hours passed) counting down with other Americans the final minutes of the worst presidency in the history of this country, it hit me that this is all wonderful but we still have to keep fighting for all things conservative in Massachusetts. And by doing that we will have to continue to expose and call out liberals who call themselves conservative. Rep. Keiko Orrall, Sen. Vinny deMacedo, just to name a few. Turncoats to the conservative movement. I do want to give a shout out to Republican Rep. Shawn Dooley who voted for the transgender bill. I know you were wondering HOW Brian Kennedy and I got into the inner circle when you passed us by after the ceremony.
As I stood there, it really made me sick to think that Governor Baker and the MassGOP were given seats. Baker, Hughes, Kaufman and Orrall who did everything in their power to undermine the Trump campaign were in the VIP section. These people have no shame, not to mention a conscience. I am not going to state their elected titles, as where I stand they don’t deserve them. They have lost all respect from me and many other voters who will never understand their NEVER TRUMP stance.
Then there were the who’s-who of the Mass. Republican State Committee, who again did nothing to help Trump, being the foot soldiers of the Baker administration, jumping at every photo op. Facebook brings their self-glorification to a higher level. To these people Facebook is like cocaine to a drug addict. I did chuckle to myself as they were posting their brain out on Facebook that most of them were given tickets that were further back than where I was standing. I really hate Facebook; I only posted a few pictures.
The people that stood near us were God-fearing people and they prayed for this day; they were there to drink it all in and be part of it. What gave me so much joy was the number of young people that were there. Yes, Massachusetts, there are young people in this country that have not drunk the Kool-Aid. These young people get it, and know that they dodged the bullet. They came from all over the country to thank God and witness it all.
With all the wonderful things that were happening, it did not come without some fear. As we approached the gate we were to enter, the SEIU protestors were trying to block us from getting through. I was pushed up against one of these clowns as we were trying to help a woman who was pushing someone in a wheel chair. I could have ripped off this clown’s SEIU patch on his jacket and taken it home with me as a souvenir, but I really did not want to get arrested. We learned later that the mayor of D.C. is a rabid Democrat and told the police that they were to stand down unless it looked like violence was about to occur. These protestors were allowed by the D.C. police to get to a gate entrance. Not only was I pushed up against a protestor, but I was pushed up against the police wall with shields.
The two most important moments for me were my visit to Senator Rand Paul’s office and a very brief encounter with a black women street vendor.
When we were walking back toward Union Station, we stopped to buy a few Trump Buttons from a black woman. When she handed me my change, she looked at me with her teary eyes and asked: “How was it in there?” I replied: “It was beautiful … people were hugging each other and thanking God.” Her face beamed. I wish I could have stayed and talked with her longer. But I know she was working hard to make a living.
Senator Paul’s visit gave me hope. The senator is very much a supporter of the National Federation of Republican Assemblies. Over the years he has spoken at Republican Assembly events. Everyone that knows me knows that I am unlike the MassGOP photo op heads. I have to be forced into having my picture taken. At the end of my conversation with Senator Paul, he turned and looked at me and said: “Don’t give up.” Giving up is something that is not on my radar screen.
We have a new president and as this president moves forward on his agenda to “Make America Great Again,” I will make sure when the governor and his State Committee foot soldiers try to get on the “Trump Train” that I will call them out for doing nothing to help get him elected. They can’t have it both ways. The party is over; it is back to business. ¨
